Machine for manufacturing tubular bodies.



No. 682,359. I Patented Sept. I0, I90! H. a. KEITHLEY.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING TUBULAR BODIES.

(Application filed My 1, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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(Applicaticm filed July 1, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 21.

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ow N I! III I I ll \il HERBERT R. KEITHLEY, OF WILSON, NEWV YORK.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING TUBULAR BODIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,359, datedSeptember 10, 1901.

Application filed July 1, 1901. Serial No. 66,666. (No model.)

T0 at whom it natty concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT R. KEITHLEY, of Wilson, in the county ofNiagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Mannfacturing Tubular Bodies; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to machines for manufacturing seamlesstubularbodies from solid bodies of metal.

In the present state of the art there are two principal methods orprocesses of manufacturing seamless tubular bodies. One of theseprocesses consists in confining a solid piece of hot metal in a suitablechamber and forcing a punch into or through the mass to form the tube.In the other process referred to the tubular blank is produced on amandrel between rolls having difierential rotation at high velocity andis called the disk rolling or piercing process. The principal difficultyencountered in the first-named process is to produce a tubular blank ofthe length required to work into the commercially-finished form, whichblank shall have a perfectly centered hole or bore, so that the Wallsare of uniform thickness. Commercial tubing is now made in lengths ofabout twenty feet, and this requires that the original seamless tubularblank be approximately three feet long. To punch a hole of the requiredsize through asolid mass of metal of such a length (three feet) and topreserve the exact alinement of the punch under the heavy pressuresrequired to penetrate the" metal has been found to be so difficult anduncertain that this process has been superseded by the disk rolling orpiercing process above referred to. This latter process requires the useof ahigh grade open-hearth steel, which is very expensive. This isnecessary, because it has been found that the use of the ordinary gradeof open-hearth steel or Bessemer will not produce satisfactory results.It has also been found that even when high-grade steel is employed inthis process the effect of the eX- cessive working and manipulation ofthe metal mass has been such that the product cannot be machined andprepared for various mechanical uses with satisfactory results. Thisdisk rolling or piercing process has the disadvantage of requiring veryexpensive machinery, which in operation requires constant and carefulattention in order that the adjustments of the various parts throughoutmay be properly maintained; otherwise the product will be defective.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine by which seamlesstubular bodies may be formed from solid blanks or bodies of the ordinarygrades of steel, which machine shall be simple, economical, andefficient.

My improved machine possesses advantages over the machine which isemployed in practicing the old process first-above referred to in thatalthough the metal blank is punched at one stage of the process offorming the tube the punching is accomplished by a tool substantiallyshorter than the length of the finished product. Consequently the saidpunching-tool will successfully resist deflection from true alinementand willproduce a tubular body having a perfectly centered hole andWalls of uniform thickness. The machine possesses advantages over themachine employed in practicing the disk-rolling J process above referredto in that it may be maintained and operated very much more economicallyand in that the ordinary grades of steel may be successfully used. Itpossesses a further advantage over the secondnamed process in that theproductive capacity of the machine is greatly increased.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal .sectional view of a machineconstructed according to my invention. Figs. 2, 3, and a are similarviews, the parts being shown in different positions for the purpose ofillustrating the successive steps of operation.

1 is a plunger or rod.

2 is a piston by which the plunger 1 may be moved.

3 is a cylinder in which the piston 2 moves.

4 is a punch or mandrel.

In the forward end of the cylinder 3 there isa passage of a sizecorresponding to thesize of the plunger or piston 1. This passage"leading to the blank-chamber.

will hereinafter be termed the blank-chamber. 5 is a tubular abutment,the passage through which is of less diameter than said blank-chamber,but of largerdiameter than said punch. This tubular abutment is movableby means of a piston 6, in turn movable within a cylinder '7.

8 is a piston-rod of a size corresponding to the bore of the tubularabutment 5 and movable therein. This rod 8 may be moved' by a piston 9,in turn movable in a cylinder 10.

The casing or casings forming the pistoncylinders may be connected inany desirable Wayfor example, by rods or bolts 11 11. The pistons may beoperated hydraulically or in an other suitable mechanical way.

The preferred form and means by which the plunger 1, the punch 4, thetubular abutment 5, and the piston 8 are operated is shown in thedrawings, although it is obvious that the same may be modified in formand arrangement. The entrance to the passage through the tubularabutment'is preferably slightly beveled, as shown in the drawings. Theend of the abutment 5 is also tapered, by preference, so as to take intoa flared opening By this coni s'tr'uction when the parts are in thepositions shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the entrance to the tubularabutment 5 is reinforced, so that the strains due to the passage of themetal through said member 5 will besuccessfully resisted. Thisconstruction is'further advantageous in that the perfect fitting of themember 5 into the entrance to the blank-chamber and its alinementtherewith is always assured, since it might otherwise be disturbed bythe expansion and contraction of the parts.

In operation a solid blank of hot metal is first inserted. into theblank-chamber, so that it will assume approximately the position showninFig. 1. In this figure the abutment 5 and the piston-rod 8 are in aproper position to hold the blank during the punching process. Theplunger 1 and punch 4 are then advanced, and the latter'is forced intothe solid blank, forming the short heavy tubular body shown in Fig. 2.The next step is to retract the piston-rod 8. The plunger 1 is thenadvanced, causing the punch 4 to enter the forward end of the tubularabutment 5 and simultaneously causing the metal of the j short heavytubular blank to flow forwardly in advance of the punch and through thetu bular pass or die formed by the punch and the inner wall of thetubular abutment. Thus the blank is contracted diametrically andelongated, producing, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a blank ofsubstantially greater length than the length of the punch 4.

During the first part of the operation above described the member4 actsonly as a punch, but during the latter part of the operation it ceasesto act as a punch and performs the function of a mandrel. While actingas a mandrel the pressure of the metal againstthis member will notdeflect it from true alinement, since the resistance against the end ofsaid memberceases, due to the fact that the metal by displacement iscaused to move or flow longitudinally and forwardly beyond the point ofthe mandrel. When the metal has been substantiallyfiisplaced from theblankchamber and has taken the form of the tube shown in Figs. 3 and 4,the plunger and punch may be retracted, and then the tubular abutment 5may be retracted, exposing the tube, as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon saidtube may be removed. In Fig. 4 the abutment 5 is shown as being stillslightly in engagement with the tube. It is obvious, however, that itcan be entirely freed therefrom by retracting said tubular abutment 5still farther.

What I claim is 1. In a machine for manufacturing seam less bodies, ablank-chamber, a punching device projecting therein and means foroperating the same, a plunger projecting therein and means for operatingthe same, a tubular abutment located at the end of said blankchamber andmeans for operating the same, a piston-rod coacting with said tubularabutment and means for operating the same, said tubular abutment andsaid punch coacting to form a die.

2. In a machine for manufacturing seamless bodies, a blank-chamber, apunching de vice located therein and means for operating the same, aplunger located therein and means for operating the same, a tubularabutment located at the entrance to said blankchamber and means foroperating the same, a piston-rod projecting into said tubular abutmentand means for operating the same, said tubular abutment and said punchcoacting to form a die.

3. .In a machine for manufacturing seamless tubular bodies, incombination, a blankchamber, a plunger located therein and fitting thesame, said blank-chamber having a beveled entrance, a tubular abutmentpro jecting intojthe beveled entrance to said blankchamber and means toremove said tubular abutment therefrom, a punch carried by the plungerand coacting with the tubular abutment to form a tubular die.

4. In a machine for manufacturing seamless tubular bodies, incombination, a blankchamber having a beveled entrance, a plunger locatedin the blank-chamber and fitting the same, a movable tubular abutmenthaving its forward end tapered to engage with the wall of the, beveledentrance to said blankchamber, a punch independent of said tubu IIO larabutment but coacting therewith to form a tubular die of smallerdiameter than said blank-chamber.

5. In a machine for manufacturing seam= less tubular bodies, incombination, a blankchamber having a beveled entrance, a mov abletubular abutment having its forward end tapered to engage with the wallof the beveled entrance to said blank-chamber, a

beveled entrance to the tubular bore of said abutment, a piston-rodmovable in the bore of vsaid tubular abutment, a plunger movable in theblank-chamber, and adevice acting as a punch in the blank-chamber and asa mandrel in the passage in the tubular abutment.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib- IO ing witnesses.

HERBERT R. KEITHLEY.

Witnesses:

R. O. MITCHELL, E. F. CAVERLY.

